European Physical Society

PHYSICS EDUCATION DIVISION

Minutes of the meeting of the EPS Division on Physics Education
University section (EPS-DPE/U)

Present:
Urbaan Titulaer (Linz; chairman)
Michael Vollmer (Brandenburg, D)
Bob Lambourne (Open University, UK)
Irek Strzalkowski (Warsaw, PL)
Chris van Weert (Amsterdam, NL)
Hendrik Ferdinande (Gent, chairman EUPEN)

1. The next meeting will be taken after consultations by e-mail (UT).
   Possibilities are: Physics on Stage 2 or next year´s EUPEN Forum or
   the EPS Budapest conference.

2. The minutes of the London meeting are approved and are available on the website.
   

3. UT thanks the chairman of EUPEN for his hospitality during the conference of
   the EUPEN network 6-8 September in Köln which has provided a perfect
   opportunity to exchange ideas. It is established that the activities of EPS-DPE/U
   and the EUPEN network are complementary, and that continued contact
   should be beneficial for both.

4. Networks
   • Multimedia in Physics Teaching and Learning
     The EPS-DPE/U will propose to the chairman of the EPS-DPE that the series of
     workshops "Multimedia in Physics Teaching and Learning" will get the status of
     official EPS conferences. At present the workshops are sponsored by the
     division. There will be a link on the web-site of the EPS-DPE.

   • Innovation of lab courses
     In Germany there is section of the DPG that has an active network for the
     improvement of student labs. The co-ordinator is Heinz-Günter Walther who has
     prepared a summary of the activities over the last 25 years for EPS-DPE/U.
     

   The annual meeting is attended by staff members from universities, most of whom
   are leaders of laboratory courses in physics. The meetings (called PLTxx meetings)
   were at first held irregularly, but since 1975 they have been held yearly.
   Since 1991 they are organised within the section "Physics Education" of the DPG
   (German Physical Society) as "Arbeitsgemeinschaft Physikalische Praktika" The
   meetings are open to guests from abroad (during PLT 2000 in Stuttgart, e.g.,
   colleagues from France and the Netherlands reported about experiences with
   laboratory courses).

   It will be proposed to the EPS-DPE that a number of travel stipendia will be
   made available by EPS for interested university teachers to stimulate a further
   internationalisation of these meetings around this nucleus.

   UT will again write a letter to the PR's to name local persons who might be
   interested in receiving information about these meetings. The chairman of EUPEN
   offers to send the same letter out through the EUPEN network.

   At an appropriate time the EPS-DPE/U will ask the Working Group Physics
   Laboratory Courses to advise on the attainment standards for physics labs.

5. Questionnaire

   BL will prepare the summary of the answers received so far, and send this on to
   Eddy Lingeman to be put on the website.

   Specific actions:

   Accreditation; one of the outcomes of the Bologna declaration is the commitment
   of national governments to set up some form of an accreditation of university
   programs in Europe. UT will contact the presidents of the national societies by
   letter to ask them to be alert for a possible role of the societies in
   establishing professional standards.

   School-university interface; the next Physics on Stage meeting takes place April
   2-6, 2002, ESA Noordwijk, the Netherlands. It will be proposed by the EPS-DPE/U
   to the co-ordinator Aart Kleyn that during this event, a satellite meeting is
   organised for a number people who are substantially involved with public
   relations and recruiting physics students in various countries of the EU, to
   learn about initiatives at the school-university interface that have the
   potential to increase student enrolment.
   

   MV and BL will suggest names from their respective countries.

   Labour market; on October 1 the important new survey "Undergraduate Physics
   inquiry" by the IOP will become public. A link to this report will be put on the
   web-site by EL.

   Teacher meetings; the PR's will be asked (Urbaan?)
   to provide links to contact persons and web-sites of local teacher meetings.
   Links will be put on the web-site of EPS-DPE/U. The PR from Norway has expressed
   interest in extending the Norwegian meetings to an international scope. UT will
   keep informal contact.

   Novel teaching at universities; there is an annual Physics Discipline Network
   Workshop organized in the UK.

   BL will contact Asley Clark whether he is willing to advertise his meetings internationally.

   (NB in the Netherlands a first such workshop about teaching to first-year
   students by university teachers is organised coming October; information cvw)

   Teacher training; the pre-university section will organize a conference in 2003.

   Didactic training of university staff; only Norway, Denmark, and Albania have
   indicated that there is some required form of didactic training for university
   staff. BL mentions that new university staff in the UK is expected to become a
   member of the Institute of Learning and Teaching. UT will ask the Norwegian PR
   what the didactic training entails. It is to be decided what to do with this
   information.

   During the meeting it is mentioned by MV that in Germany a new prize for
   teaching will be established (Michael could you provide the details?) Also in
   Poland the ministry of education has a teaching award (Irek could you provide
   details?).

6. Actions Pending
   • The EPS-DPE/U should establish a contact to AAPT, which has a committee on
     International Education.
   • How do we proceed with the rather scant information about novel courses and
     new ideas about teaching physics in universities. Is it feasible to
     internationalise local meetings, as the EPS-equivalent of the AAPT-national
     meetings with demonstrations and workshops?
   • Digital Universities; from the information received sofar there does not seem
     to be any substantial initiatives, except the one by the Open University
     (UK). Do we keep this on our attention list?
   • The question how EPS-members and members of national societies can be
     encouraged to become a member of EPS-DPE will go to the council. Further
     action?

   At 18:00 the meeting of the University section was closed;

   all present attended the meeting of the Division on Physics Education
   (EPS-DPE) chaired by Aart Kleyn.
   • The proposal that the series of workshops "Multimedia in Physics Teaching and
     Learning" get the status of official EPS conferences is taken over by the
     chairman of the EPS-DPE. Hans-Joerg Jodl will be asked to submit a budget
     proposal.
   • The proposal that a number of travel stipendia will be made available by EPS
     for interested university teachers to attend the meetings of the Working
     Group Physics Laboratory Courses is taken over by the chairman of EPS-DPE.
   • The proposal that during Physics on Stage next April a satellite meeting is
     organised for a number people who are substantially involved with public
     relations and recruiting physics students in various countries of the EU is
     taken over by the coordinator Aart Kleyn.
   • Actions in the area of innovative teaching will also be considered. Support
     can be expected from Arne Auen Grimnes (Norway) and Bob Lambourne. This will
     be co-ordinated by Urbaan Titulaer.